The Ohio field hockey team earned passage into the Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals with a convincing win against host team Ball State yesterday.
No. 4-seed Ohio (7-14 overall, 5-6 MAC) dispatched the No. 5 Cardinals, 3-1, in the opening game of the 2004 MAC Tournament, eliminating them for the fourth straight season.
With the win against Ball State (4-14, 4-7), Ohio recorded back-to-back wins for the first time this season, having won its last regular season game, also against the Cardinals. The Bobcats beat Ball State in all three of the teams' meetings this year, and have beat the Cardinals 13 straight times.
After almost 24 minutes of scoreless play, Ohio forwards Lindsay Rothenberger and Colleen Marshall hooked up to create the Bobcats first goal. Rothenberger crossed the ball to Marshall, who buried the ball in the Cardinals' goal. The goal was Marshall's first ever in postseason play.
When we all show up on the field and we're on the same page
we can win Rothenberger said. Something that definitely helped us today was our passing game. When we scored that first goal you could just feel the team's fire on the field.
Ohio began the second half up 1-0 but would not wait as long to get the ball into Ball State's net. Within the first 10 minutes of the half, Rothenberger found the net on a corner after a pass from forward Chelsea Mearig and midfielder Kristen Hann.
A little more than three minutes later, Ohio scored again for a 3-0 lead as Rothenberger earned her second assist and third point of the game setting up Mearig for the Bobcat score.
The Cardinals scored late on a corner opportunity to spoil Ohio's shutout, but the damage was done.
We were really stingy defensively in the first half
and it really propelled our attack
coach Shelly Morris said. It was the first time we were defensively getting the job done and our offense took care of it.
Ohio goalkeeper Jennifer Cote was strong in net the entire game for Ohio, recording seven saves, six in the second half.
This win was all about us coming together
Cote said. We were confident coming in and we knew we could put it away.
With the victory, Ohio advances to the MAC Tournament semifinals to play No. 1 Louisville. Ohio split the season series, suffering a 6-1 loss to the Cardinals before rebounding with a 3-2 upset at home.
The meeting will be a rematch of the 2003 MAC Tournament championship game. Louisville bested Ohio 2-1, to claim the MAC title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
It's always a good game between us
Morris said. If the team comes out like they did today
I think it's going to be a very good game. We've knocked off No. 1 teams before and it helps that we recently did just beat them. We're feeling good going into it.
Louisville is all that stands between the Bobcats and a fifth straight MAC Tournament Championship game appearance. The action starts at noon today.
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